5 Ways Top Home Business Entrepreneurs Fight Procrastination

You ever go to bed at night exhausted from trying to figure out what the deal is with Lost? You were so bent on understanding this island of confusion that you started watching DVD’s of the first season to hopefully shed some light on this nonsensical cluster of darkness. Now, all this would be OK except that you were supposed to be working on your home business. It was, however, no fault of your own that the phone rang and the subject of Lost emerged innocently in the conversation. It was then completely logical to assume that you deserved a break and one episode wouldn’t hurt. Five hours later, it really made sense to get some rest and commit deeply to “making it all happen” tomorrow. Sound familiar? How much actually “happens” tomorrow? Usually not very much.

To be successful in home business today requires action. Though some people were just born with massive action, like the kids that started their own businesses at 9 and were millionaires before they graduated high school, most of us need to develop the skills for high productivity. Here are 5 things you can do right now to make yourself more productive and help guarantee success in your chosen home business today.

1. Be crystal clear about what you want- This may sound obvious but one of the primary reasons for procrastination is lack of clarity. If we aren’t sure about what we are doing or what we need to do next, we tend to do nothing. Write down your goals!

2. Start each day with a plan – now that you’ve got some goals, you should be able to sketch out a plan of how to achieve them. Back into it like this; Start with your primary goal and then figure out which tasks you’ll need to complete over the year (or the expected duration) to reach it. Then break down tasks over the next few months… you can change this as you go but its important to have a starting point. Now list the tasks for the next week. Now from what you have planned for the week, select the tasks for tomorrow. Simple… now follow your map.

3. Use the 80/20 rule – We all know that 20% of our actions typically counts for 80% of our results. Look at your activities and decide what the top 20% of them are and then commit to doing them before all else. NEVER do lower priority tasks before the more important ones.

4. What will happen if? – Think about every task you do before you do it and ask your self that question. “What will happen if I do this today? What will happen if I don’t?” Now compare it to the goal in your head. For instance, if the answer is that you will be less confused about Lost but tomorrow you’ll have twice as much work to do, you may want to go another route. Again, the key here is to be clear what you have to do and WHY you are doing it.

5. Do what Brian Tracy calls the ABC method – Simply put, this method allows you to prioritize your tasks to ensure that you take care of the most important tasks first. Look at your list of tasks and mark an “A” next to the tasks that, if not done, will have serious consequences. If you have a few, mark them “A-1, A-2, A-3” etc. “B” tasks are important but there is significantly less of a consequence if it’s not completed; returning some email and phone calls might be “B” tasks. As a general rule, don’t do a “B” task if an “A” task is left undone. “C” tasks are things that you’d like to do, but there really is no consequence at all if don’t; like if you missed lunch with a co-worker or another exciting discussion of Lost with your friend. “D” task are tasks you can delegate and should delegate if the option is open to you. “E” tasks don’t need to be done at all. Usually they are either no longer necessary or just something you’re in the habit of doing. Let them go.

Running a home business successfully requires a lot of self discipline and action… hopefully one or more of these tips will help you with your journey to success. I wish you prompt and timely success!